


I Need You to Know

by letsrunawaytogether



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: AU, Bittersweet Ending, Changing POV's, F/M, Frerard, M/M, growing angst, high school fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-05 19:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4192425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsrunawaytogether/pseuds/letsrunawaytogether
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the course of a few months, Frank manages to make a couple of amazing friends, with a chance of something more. However, he can feel that chance getting lower and lower, and he's not sure if he's relieved or terrified of that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to keep my fics all non-AU but this came into mind and has been bothering me enough to write it. I didn't want to add to the many high school AU's that already exist here but I needed to get this out. I'll go back to non-AU fics once I get this done. Have to admit, I'm kind of excited to see where this one goes though.

The new school is hell on the inside. Outside it would've passed for any other private school. Typical enormous building, clean walkways, tended gardens here and there, a fountain in the middle of the grounds. Yeah, they really did touch up the outside of the place to convince people that it's the same on the inside. But as many of the goodie two shoes kids who attend the school say, it's not. At all.

Frank can vouch for that now too. He's been hit in the head by thrown sandwiches, apples, other fruits that might've been chucked too hard since he can't be bothered to remember them now, full water bottles, door stoppers, five subject notebooks, you name it. Frank has been stuffed into a locker a couple of times, but it's not that bad considering he's shorter than most of these people. He doesn't have to crouch or slouch when he's pushed into the narrow lockers. Hell, sometimes he's had fun with it when the owner of the locker opens it and he pops out screaming in their face, scaring the shit out of them. On other occasions, he's run into couples in the boy's restroom doing god knows what in the stalls, and the same thing when he decides to escape into the girl's instead. People were too invested in their 'activities' to really give a shit that Frank came into the girl's bathroom. He still shudders every time he has to see the same sight over and over again.

The teachers here don't care about the things their students do most of the time as long as they turn in homework. Although ninety seven percent of the time the work on those sheets is absolute bullshit, but it's not like the adults actually look at the work in the first place. If there's numbers or words on the papers, they don't give a rat's ass. In his earlier months, he would have followed these morons' leads and just ignored the homework and classwork they got that they neglected every single class period.

Then he has to remember that he's got to make his mother proud- typical story for a kid like him. Nice family excluding the disappeared dad. Yup, he's gonna live through the same high school story with a pretty typical backstory too. His mom has no idea that the private school he's attending that looked so good in a pamphlet is actually a real shithole, but it's really the only private school he could afford to attend at the moment. He didn't burden her with the knowledge that she sent him somewhere that would make any kid with good sense miserable, so he took everything he got here without a care. Well, except that one time he made a couple of noses bleed after they managed to steal his phone (and thankfully he had put in a pass code on there since he knew ahead of time that this scenario was going to happen _eventually_ ). And that other time he almost successfully strangled a guy a grade ahead of him for talking shit about him in front of him and had wrongfully decided to say something about his family.

Alright, maybe this school _is_ negatively influencing him. He's just glad that the teachers are so neglectful they ignore fights. In another _real_ private school he'd be kicked out in a heartbeat with how much he put into his punches. If things went too far, Frank ends up forgetting how much strength he really has, and at this point he's surprised he hasn't punched someone into unconsciousness.

But hey, it's not all bad. Amongst the guys who build up the tough guy image when they can barely lift one weight and girls who spread rumors faster than social media websites, he's found a couple of cool people.

The two guys he's close enough to call brothers are Mikey Way and Ray Toro. Mikes is a really awesome guy, even if he sometimes closes himself off too often. He doesn't say much- or anything really- to anyone besides Frank and Ray. If Mikey ever gets in one of those moods where he can't even contribute to a conversation with his two closest friends, neither of them take it personally. They've learned that that's just how Mikes is sometimes, although they do have to wonder what or who causes him to act like that. It could be personal though, so they don't ask him. But Mikey is into practically the same stuff Frank is into, and that's enough for Frank to call him one of his best friends. Even though Mikey refuses to let Frank stay over his house for some reason, they still have a lot of fun at Frank's, having long movie marathons afterschool. Mikey only ever smiles around his exclusive group of friends, and it's such small pool of people that Frank feels honored that he gets to know the real Mikey Way.

Ray's definitely someone he looks up to. Ray is one of the friendliest yet dorkiest people he's ever met, with the ginormous yet fantastic afro and overall positive attitude he's kept up despite the horrible atmosphere they're surrounded by everyday. What really makes Frank like Ray so much is guitar playing. The guy can _seriously_ play. Sometimes when Frank and Mikey hang out at Ray's house, he does a few songs or riffs from time to time, and it always amazes the two of them no matter how many times Ray's played for them. Ray could be a god at guitar if he got outta this shithole of a school and town, since he lives in the same area as the school and it definitely ain't better. Ray's the someone that can always brighten up the mood whenever both Frank and Mikey are going through things, so that is kind of what brings them back together sometimes if they ever end up having an argument, which is pretty rare. Ray has counted the number of times the other two have argued, and only got up to two. That's great for the few months that Frank has been here. The more idiotic students they see in the halls tend to verbally argue pretty often, and that normally escalates to physical violence. But Frank would never fight Ray and Mikey in his life. They're the best guys he's ever met here, maybe ever. Plus he's positive that he'd end up putting Ray in a coma if he punched him.

And then there's Jamia. God does Frank **adore** her, the nicest girl here as far as Frank knows. She was the first girl to ever approach him since he first came here that didn't have something rude to say to his face or attempt to seduce him with a lot of unnecessary touching in a lot of uncomfortable places. She has her own group of gals to be with, so she doesn't get to hang out with the boys as often, but she still tries to when she gets the chance. It doesn't help Frank that she's pretty. Not like the other girls here, who he'd never see as attractive in a million years. He doesn't like thinking Jams as hot or sexy. He sees her as cute, adorable, and any other cliche things a guy with a minor crush could think of. Thinking of Jamia as anything remotely sexual really grates Frank's nerves. His feelings for her aren't strong enough to want to ask her out, but he knows he likes her. Mikey and Ray have pointed out they could be a good match. They've said it _in front of them_ , which leads to the two of them being a blushing mess.

Frank has to say that interacting with his friends makes him forget where he is. He forgets that he's attending probably one of the worst private schools in the history of private schools ever. He feels almost normal.

_And then there's Gerard **fucking** Way._

Frank is so confused when it comes to the older brother of Mikey Way. Gerard's his friend, but at the same time he's not. The guy could hang out with the four of them sometimes but other times he'd be with these assholes that Frank can't believe Gerard would associate with. Mikey has talked to him about it, but Frank still can't believe that. Gerard's a cool guy. Ya know, once you get past his _cocky as shit personality and general douchebaggery_. Even Jamia and Ray get weirded out by Gerard's apparent two-faced behavior. Hell, he doesn't just show it to them. He shows it to a ton of people apparently, as Mikey's told them, and Mikey himself wonders why Gerard let's all that go when he's interacting with his brother at home but is absolutely willing to act like a dick to him at school. It annoys the crap out of Frank, Ray, and Jamia, enough to make all three of them want to confront Gerard himself. Mikey constantly tells them to refrain from that though, saying that doing that would definitely make Gerard cut himself off from them for good.

Still, it's confusing as fuck to the them. In the end, they've had to learn to deal with it. Gerard's just playing it up to keep his cool image with said assholes.

Frank can't help but be attracted to him anyway. And it honestly makes Frank want to punch himself in the balls for having a crush that makes less sense than the first one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun.  
> It really was. I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy writing this chapter so much. I'm onboard with finishing up this story now, and I can't wait to keep writing for it. I can't wait to get to the later chapters, since I already have an idea of where the relationships are heading. See you in the next chapter my dears.


	2. In Your Wake

As soon as Frank steps through the open doors of Monroeville High School, he feels something smack against his head _hard_. He cries out and rubs the area that's been hit, feeling a small bump there. Less than five seconds into the first day of school and already Frank's been assaulted by something. He looks down and sees a green apple with a bite already taken out of it next to his feet. Hearing a loud barking sound that he assumes is laughter, Frank moves his gaze to the entrance to the boy's restroom and locks eyes with a guy he's sure is a head taller than him and is giving him a predatory grin. Apparently, the asshole has a posse, as a few other students gather around him, shouting obscenities at him that sends him the message that he should be extra careful today to make sure he's not cornered or alone for one second. It's apparent that their leader's the one who chucked the bitten fruit at Frank's head, and Frank makes a mental note to keep his own anger in check the next time the guy decides to do anything to him. He'd rather not get into a fight on his first day even if some jerkass wanted to.

Humming one of his favorite songs in his head and ignoring the laughing neanderthals, Frank ascends up the grand staircase ahead of him to the second floor and walks through the halls to find his locker. He reaches it in a few minutes, and it's conveniently located near his first class. He takes a moment to decide whether or not it would be safe to carry his phone around in his pocket all day or if it'd be better to leave it inside his locker for protection. There's a chance that one of those jocks could steal it at some point and he'd be forced to fight them off to take it back. Then again, if they found him just to torment and beat him to the ground, at least he could still call someone to get an ambulance for him before he'd lose consciousness. That someone would be his mother, and while it would pain him in case he really did have to call her for that reason, it's still better to be safe than sorry. Frank would just hide his phone in a better spot inside his bookbag, maybe let it get covered by some of his notebooks once he buys class supplies. He decides to keep the phone in his bag, and shuts the locker door.

The short teen enters his history class and finds almost everyone inside already. Frank's gaze flickers through the seated students, trying to find an open desk. He spots one all the way in the back of the room, in the row closest to the door. He makes his way over as quietly as possible, although he feels the gaze of students he passes on his back, making him feel anxious. Frank lets out a quiet sigh of relief when he finally sinks into his seat. The eyes that were previously on him are no longer looking in his direction, and as he sets his bag on the ground he hears someone clear their throat loud enough to be heard over the chattering of his classmates. The noise slowly dissipates, and Frank looks up to see the teacher at the front of the room, hands clasped behind her back with a smirk on her pointed face.

"As I am sure you have all heard from your most likely annoyed and agitated older companions, I am Mrs. Verrick. While I am somewhat disappointed to see some familiar faces in here for possibly the third time, I am relieved that I see some I am completely unfamiliar with. The same rules as last year apply, for those of you who have already gone through my class. For those who are new in here, I have only one rule: complete and return any assignments I hand out to you everyday. I don't care if your answers are correct or horribly wrong. I just want them placed on my desk every morning, and I will make sure to watch every one of you as you hand them in. Other than this, I couldn't care less what else you do outside of this room.

"Before I list off everything you will need for this class, I do believe that we have a new student. Frank Iero, I think." Her eyes landed on him, and Frank swears her cold gaze is what makes him shiver as he stands up. "Tell the class about yourself."

"Well uh, I'm originally from Belleville, but moved here not too long ago. I play guitar, and sing a little sometimes. I haven't been around here or heard about this school before I decided to attend classes here, so... I guess I can get accustomed to this place with a few new friends?" Frank has no idea what else to say with everybody's eyes focused on him. Besides what he's just said, there's nothing else he could say that would make him interesting to any of these people, some of whom are starting to whisper while their gazes are still trained on him. There's a few seconds of silence before Mrs. Verrick decides to stop making Frank feel incredibly awkward.

"That's nice Frank. I hope we get to know you as the year goes on," she says in a disinterested tone, "Now then, onto the supplies you'll need to survive this class-"

The classroom door clicks and swings open, a tall, lanky student strolling into the room. Hair in his face, slightly thick glasses, a bandana looped around his neck, out of uniform and wearing a black hoodie with skinny jeans- the first word that comes to Frank's mind to describe this guy is 'dork'.

"Ah, late on the first day. Again."

Skinny jeans rolls his eyes at the greeting. "Yeah. Nothing new."

"Well, you can take the seat in the back. You'll at least get to make a new acquaintance from sitting there. Nice to see you for the second time Mister Way-"

"Mikey."

"- Mikey, right. Just go ahead and sit down," Mrs. Verrick says, sounding a bit exasperated. Cleary, this guy's been late on more than just the first day of school.

The guy shuffles through the narrow row to the desk beside Frank. He accidentally knocks his foot into another student's desk, earning him a piercing glare that he brushes off easily after holding contact with them for a millisecond. Mikey drops his bag next to his seat and plops down, not sparing Frank a glance. Mrs. Verrick carries on with describing the list of materials required for the class.

Summoning enough courage, Frank turns his head to him and quietly says, "Hey. I'm Frank."

Mikey's eyes flicker over to him, then seem to give him a once over. Their eyes lock before he replies with a, "Hi."

"Been at this school for a while?"

"Since seventh grade." Ah, Frank knows that year as the one most students consider hell.

"Mind if I choose you as my guide for the school?"

For just the slightest second, Frank can see surprise in his eyes. He seems to be considering it, although his gaze returns to Mrs. Verrick. Frank decides that he should leave the guy be to think about it, and listens to the rest of the teacher's long speech. Her voice is laced with annoyance, probably from constantly repeating the same list every single year. That, and because she must not like the 'familiar faces' she was referring to before. Luckily, she talks all the way to the end of the period, and when the bell rings, there are many sighs of relief around the classroom.

Frank curls a hand around one of his bag's straps and pulls it up, about to walk away when Mikey says, "I'll direct you to your next class. If we have the same lunch, I'll fill you in about this place."

Frank gives him a small smile of gratitude, and the two exit the classroom.

Two periods later, Frank knows that chemistry is going to be the most dangerous class on his schedule. The teacher, Mr. Lynchfield, who's apparently the oldest teacher in Monroeville High, seems to care even _less_ than Verrick and his English teacher, Mr. Clause (who despises being teased for having a last name that sounds too similar to an English term). His classmates appear to be the same too, and Frank's positive that there's going to end up being more than one explosion in here during the year. He's still a sophomore, and despite how disgusting the school is, he wants to get out of here properly, preferably without dying in the process.

They have to start an experiment within the first few minutes of class after Mr. Lynchfield gives them a rushed run down of what they need for the whole year. He goes over the instructions for their first experiment quickly, writing them on the blackboard, and has them choose their own partners. The other students manage to pair up with their friends, and since Frank's new, he doesn't have any choices.

As the rest of the class goes to pick up materials, Lynchfield comes over and asks in his deep, gravely voice, "Iero, who have you paired up with?"

"Uh... no one sir? Everyone's already got a partner."

The old man scans the room and says, "No not everyone. Mr. Toro! Work with the new student on the experiment."

Frank follows the man's gaze and spots a student all the way at the front of the class next to the window. He's surprised he hadn't noticed him, because this guy has a _massive_ 'fro. Not that Frank doesn't like it of course. It looks great on him. Ray answers, "Yes sir," and walks over to them.

"Well, Iero, you're lucky that you've got Mr. Toro as your partner. I've heard he's done well in his science classes in previous years." Frank wonders how he would know that since it's been made pretty clear that the teachers don't pay enough attention to their students. Mikey even said the same thing while he walked Frank to English last period. Maybe the really smart kids just got noticed a little more. "I expect the same thing this year though. Good luck you too." And with that, he leaves the duo to observe the 'work' of the other students.

Ray picks up the equipment they need, and they quietly set up the experiment. They don't say anything for a while, and simply follow the instructions as written on the board. It surprises Frank when Ray's the one that starts the conversation. "So, uh, you're new here?"

"Heh, yeah. This school isn't exactly my ideal vision of a private school ya know?"

"I know what you mean. I've had to go here since seventh grade though, since I've lived in Monroeville my whole life. You get used to things after a while. If you need help with anything, I'm here, 'kay?"

"You sound kinda nervous saying that."

"Well, it's hard finding someone in this school who isn't ready to toss you into a trash can after you say hi to 'em, and you're new and don't have much of a clue what this place can be like."

"Actually, I got a hint this morning."

"Fruit to the head?"

"Yup. Apple."

Ray chuckles at that. "Sorry, it's just that they used the same ammunition on my first day of seventh grade. I still remember it. But anyways, yeah, you're one of the nicest people I've got the chance to meet, so this is kind of new to me."

"Oh... well, don't worry. You don't have to inform me about too much. Mikey Way is getting me caught up today during lunch since it turns out we do have the same lunch period."

At that, Ray's eyes snap up to Frank's. "Wait, Mikey Way? You know Mikey?"

"Yeah. Well, kinda. We met this morning and I managed to get him to be a 'guide' for me." Frank sees his eyes widen. "I'm gonna take your reaction as a way to say that that doesn't happen often."

"See, uh, I haven't really spoken to Mikey before. Not since last year actually. I was never close to him, but he seemed pretty okay. I was his partner for science so we interacted a little but like I said, we're not close. I kind of see him as a friend though, so maybe I could meet up with you both at lunch?"

Frank nods eagerly. He's got the chance to make two friends, and he's not gonna mess it up. Maybe they'll all get along fine. "Yeah, yeah okay. You've got sixth period lunch?"

"Yup. We can meet up under the big tree in the courtyard. It the largest tree, so you can't miss it. Everyone else likes to sit at the tables, so we'll be able to talk a little more privately."

"That's great! Can't wait," Frank replies with a grin, one that is returned by Ray. Maybe today won't be so bad after all. Frank just has to get through his next period and then he'll get to escape to lunch. He seriously can't wait to meet up with two soon-to-be-friends of his.

* * *

It's halfway through Art class, and Frank has counted seven spitballs that have hit him in the face . He's trying hard to concentrate on the assignment, which is just to sketch or draw whatever the students wanted. He has a feeling he's the only one that's actually trying, since he's glanced at a couple of other drawings and has spotted a few crudely drawn dicks here and there.

What Frank's making is just an expression. Two eyes and a mouth. Simple. Maybe he'll actually turn it into a person later. Drawing is doing a great job of distracting him from the spitballs flying at him.

"Boys, stop it," the young teacher says as she sketches her own picture at her desk. She's not focused at all on the students and has all of her attention on her drawing. Well, Frank appreciates the help anyway, because surprisingly whoever she's addressing actually stops. However, he hears another voice, whispering harshly. He hears the feminine voice hiss, "Stop! Stop guys!"

He lifts his gaze to the source of the voice, and he sees a rather cute girl sitting across from him turning away from the guys he assumes are the culprits of all the spitballs. Her lips quirk into a smile, although from Frank's point of view, it's on the borderline of becoming a smirk.

"Hi there. You're the new guy right?" Frank nods his head. "Ah, no need to be afraid of me." She holds her hand across the table towards him. "I'm Lindsey. Lindsey Ballato."

Frank shakes her hand and replies, "Frank Iero. You know those two?"

"Yeah, don't mind 'em. They're friends of mine. Sorry about their stupidity a few minutes ago. If you need to get them off your back, come find me," she says reassuringly, "You seem like a nice guy Frank." Alright, now Frank's positive that her smile has stretched into a smirk, with a lowered eyebrow and voice for added effect. He has an idea of where this could be heading. "You want to hang out later?"

"Uhhh... I'm not really... into that kind of thing."

Lindsey laughs at this, along with her two friends. "Aw, no! You _actually_ fell for that? Sorry dude, I was just messing with you. No hard feelings right?"

Wow. Frank wants to bang his head against the hard table, and is appalled that he fell for that so easily. "Yeah, no big deal."

"But seriously Frankie, you're cute. I think you'll fare just fine with the other girls around here." He has to blush a little when she says this. How could he not though? Lindsey is kinda cute too.

"Thank you? Um... I can say the same about you."

She giggles again, making Frank blush harder. "Hey, thanks man! But while you may be one of the cuter guys around here, I'm off the market at the moment."

"Oh, you're with someone already?"

"Nah, not necessarily. I'm just keeping myself out of the dating scene until a decision's made."

"Ah. Alright."

Lindsey's pretty nice. Well, she's both of those things actually. Pretty and nice. Frank wouldn't think of dating her for real, but she'd be a great friend for him to have. They talk for the rest of the period, and it lifts Frank's spirits even more. It's nice that he's had the opportunity to meet such awesome people during his first day. Mikey, Ray, and now Lindsey. Things are looking up.

* * *

"Really? They haven't even bothered to fix up the cameras?" Frank asks, his mouth agape.

"Yeah. The school's rich as shit, and they don't care enough to even do _that_ ," Mikey says, taking a bite of his disgusting tuna sandwich. Frank personally thinks that whatever's in their sandwiches isn't tuna, and having Ray, someone that's been here longer than either of them, agree isn't exactly reassuring to him.

"I don't know how the teachers and students put up with each other for more than a month," Ray adds, "I mean, most of the people here have rich families, besides me. I'm lucky that my parents got decent enough paychecks to put me here. Everyone else is either in the same state or they've got enough cash to repair the school so that it can actually be called a real private school."

They work their way to finishing their lunches, which are gross as hell, but it's food. Maybe. Mikey and Ray both say that the school's never put anymore effort into making the lunches more edible, so everybody's gotta put up with the same slop every semester. Still, they never get used to it, as evident by the looks of disgust on the two boys' faces as they ate. Frank is amazed that they can swallow more than two bites.

After a couple of minutes, they've managed to swallow the garbage they called lunch down their throat, and are simply relaxing in the shade of the big tree. The courtyard could be a really peaceful place if the other students would just tone it down a lot. The tree is far from the tables the loud teens are sat at, and the trio can still hear them.

Frank takes a look at the loudest group of teenagers, who happen to be at the closest table to the tree. He can see Lindsey amongst them, and he feels his cheeks light up a bit before he remembers that he's _not_ supposed to do that. 'Off the market'. Not that he would've bought her in the first place. She's a nice friend of his now, and he isn't going to ruin that just because she's pretty. At that same table, he recognizes the two guys who had bothered him in Art- Lindsey's friends. Or at least, one guy's face and the back of the other's head. The back of said guy's head is blocking Frank's view of another person who's sat next to Lindsey, but he manages to get a glimpse of black hair and the wave of a pale hand.

"Hey Frank? Mikey? You wanna meet up again like this tomorrow?" Ray asks them, opening his eyes from where he laid against the tree trunk. Frank can see a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "This is the first time I've ever had lunch with real friends before, so maybe we could do it again? This was fun, ya know, so why not?"

"Yeah sure, that'd be nice," Frank replies immediately. He looks over at Mikey, who's lying on the ground unmoving. "Hey, Mikey? You awake?"

"Yeah."

"'Kay. So you heard what Ray asked right?"

"Yeah."

"So do you?"

"Yeah."

Frank's surprised by how much a one worded answer could light up Ray's face.

"Awesome! Can't wait! We can talk about a lot of other things about this place and the students here that you wouldn't really expect. There's tons of little things that go unnoticed, so we could talk about..." Ray starts rambling, and it brings a smile to Frank and even Mikey's face. They had learned in the matter of a few minutes just how easily Ray could brighten up the mood. He's a cheerful person, something neither of them really expected since he is generally quiet, although not at Mikey's level of quiet. All three can agree that hanging out like this is pretty fun, and they all are really looking forward to seeing each other again tomorrow.

* * *

It's the end of the day, and only now does Frank realize that he forgot to get Mikey and Ray's numbers'. He doesn't feel too bad though. He'll get them when he sees the guys in class, and then they'll be able to see each other outside of school too! He feels like it's too good to be true honestly, that there could be these two amazing guys in the school and Frank managed to get them by his side. He's just so damn lucky it makes him grin widely at the thought. He recalls which textbooks he'd have to take home with him for the day, since they were all huge and he didn't want to lug more than he needed back and forth. Once he remembers the right ones, he takes the needed books out and shoves them into his bookbag. He zips his bag shut and stands, closing the locker, only to be greeted by the sight of one of Lindsey's friends. The guy is leaning against the locker next to Frank's, and is giving him a predatory smirk that is incredibly different from Lindsey's. The guy says, "Hey there, little man."

Frank replies with a soft, "Hi. What're you doing here?" It's a dumb thing to ask, but Frank would _really_ like to just drive home now, and clearly he had to finish this conversation to escape.

"No reason. Just wandered over to say hi."

The sound of more footsteps appears, and the other friend comes from around the corner. Frank feels his heart start to beat faster, growing more worried by the second.

"Bertie, what do you have there?"

"I think it might be the new kid, and shut the hell up, Bryar. Don't call me that! It's Bert! Get rid of that shitty nickname would you?!"

Frank tries to walk away, starting to get desperate to escape from them. He doesn't want to go home with a black eye, not when the school day's over and he is actually able to get home now. However, he's yanked back by strong hands and his back hits the locker hard. The hallway he's in is now completely empty, all of the students having rushed back home. Nobody can help him, and if he tried shouting for help, these guys would probably punch his teeth out as punishment. Frank's pushed even further into the locker, being lifted just a few centimeters off the ground.

"Hey guys! What the fuck are you doin'? We have to meet Lindsey out back!" A voice shouts. Frank hears another set of steps, but his view is obstructed by Bert's head. He shifts his head just enough to a little bit of the mop of black hair he saw during lunch. Bert shoves him again though, moving him back to his original position and fully blocking Frank's view. Frank feels a spike of fear as a result, and his eyes are clenched shut, turning his head fully away from Bert. "Now who do we have here?" the same guy questions. Frank can hear him move a little, but doesn't open his eyes.

"Could be the new guy, but we don't know his name," Bob answers, Bert nodding in agreement. They most likely didn't care enough to remember Frank's name even when he told Lindsey in Art. "Although, we do know that he can be a punching bag for us."

The unknown student is quiet, and Frank thinks he might actually be considering it. God he just wants to go _home_! Thankfully, the guy's response is positive and just saved Frank from a beat down.

"Hm... Not yet. We'll let him be. For now." Frank thanks God frantically in his head. Bert lets go of Frank, and Frank still refuses to open his eyes, instead turning around to face his locker. He ducks his head and lets out a sigh of relief when he hears the guys leaving, their footsteps getting quieter. Considering how deserted the hallway is, that was way _too close_.

Too close takes on another meaning when Frank feels heat from another body behind him, an arm on either side of him effectively trapping him against the locker. _Shit, shit **shit!**_ Now he really _is_ alone, and no one can help him. There's no cameras to catch any of this either. God, he's trapped with whoever this is! But what he feels next is even more unexpected than the (definitely male) body that is pressed tightly on his own.

Short, hot breaths caress his neck, and Frank knows that he's blushing hard from his cheeks all the way down his neck. They stay in this position for a minute, long enough for Frank to match the breaths of the guy behind him, his own getting shorter and shorter. He can hear his heartbeat pounding in his ear now, the tension in the air thickening. The other body pushes forward until Frank is completely pinned against the locker, their arms braced on either side of the shorter man, leaving Frank utterly vulnerable and helpless to whatever the guy does. He places kisses on his neck languidly and tantalizingly slowly, and Frank lets out a shuddering breath as they make their way to his ear. He can't help the moan that rolls off his tongue when the lips touch a particularly sensitive spot, and Frank unintentionally squirms against the other person's body. The lips pause their journey, the body covering Frank's quivering at the delectable sound. The unknown boy growls when Frank shifts again, and a hand fists itself in Frank's hair, tilting his head to give the boy more access to the new student's neck. Once he recovers his composure, he delays his path and places more kisses along Frank's neck, coaxing more mewling sounds from Frank that fuel the boy's want to go further. When he reaches his destination, his mouth is so close to Frank's ear that Frank can feel the light feathery touch of the lips as he purr, " _Don't want to ruin that **pretty** face of yours_ ". Each word is felt against his ear, and those lips are brought closer to Frank's cheek, brushing against it softly and almost affectionately, making him shiver against the taller teen. Frank has to restrain himself from turning his head towards that mouth, towards its owner who is making him **lose it**. Whoever this is knows how to tease, and it's working _wonders_ on Frank.

All at once, the heat disappears. The person steps away, and Frank can hear them leave, but he still has to recover from _whatever the fuck that was_. He turns around, presses his back to the locker, and slides to the floor. He takes deep breaths to calm himself down, and he realizes that he's probably wasted a lot of time here. Frank needs to get home before his mom starts to wonder where he is. Still, his mind is focused on the events that transpired moments ago. He's certain that if that had happened elsewhere, things would've ended much more differently, and he wouldn't have left with his virginity intact.

Whoever this mystery man is definitely has an interest in Frank, even if it's Frank's first day. Thing is, Frank doesn't know who to tell about this. He sure as hell isn't going to his mother, not when she would eventually have to learn just how terrible the schools she's sending him to truly is. He doesn't know how Mikey and Ray will react if they learn that Frank's been sexually assaulted/harassed by an unknown student. He isn't close enough to either of them to accurately determine how they'd react. Frank thinks it'd be better to just keep it to himself. Yup, keep it locked up in his mind. Maybe he would forget about it, or the guy would just back off and forget about his infatuation with Frank. Yeah, this is definitely what Frank will do. For now at least. Once he finds a better solution, he'll take action.

Picking up his bag and slinging it onto his back, Frank strolls down the staircase and pushes the entrance doors open, exiting the school and walking towards his car in the parking lot to drive home. Today wasn't as bad as Frank had expected it to be. In fact, it had been better. If he got three friends on his first day, maybe he'd make another the next day! Things could only get better from here. They couldn't get worse, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if that particular scene near the end isn't written well. That's the first time I've personally written a scene like this and while it was admittedly fun, I still felt that I needed to work on it. However, there might be scenes similar to it in future chapters, possibly at the same level as this one. I wanted to try my hand at a T-rated fic, although I might go a little overboard later on.  
> I'm seriously so excited to develop everything here. I haven't been this pumped since I first started on FF.Net years ago. I fully intend to finish this by the end of the month too. But wow this longer than what I've previously written on AO3.  
> No, this is not a Frank/Lindsey fic. I don't intend for their relationship to be romantic/go beyond 'friendship'. I am very tempted to add some element of Mikey/Ray into this as well, although I most likely will not have them actually get together if I do.  
> See you in the next chapter my dears.


	3. Chapter 3

"Happy birthday, Mikey fucking Way!" Frank tackles Mikey and they crash into the wall of lockers, Frank giggling madly and Mikey letting a smile slip out. Some passing students glance over at them, shocked to see him not wearing his usual uninterested face. He ignores the stares though, too pleasantly surprised that someone cared about his birthday for once. 

"Thanks, Frank." 

"Good thing that I asked you and Ray for your birthdays yesterday. I had no clue that yours would be on the very next day." 

"Be glad that yours is on a cool date. Halloween? _That's_ awesome."

Mikey wouldn't mind being born on a holiday like Frank. Frank was born on October 31st, while Mikey was brought into the world on September 10th. He wishes he was born on a more memorable day.

"Yeah, it's kinda cool I guess. But we're not supposed to be thinking about _my_ birthday. We're talkin' about yours! We have to celebrate." 

Mikey pauses, thinking about how to respond. He hasn't properly celebrated his birthday in years. He personally never made a big deal of it back then, and his mother had stopped trying to convince him to have a party when he made it clear he detested the idea. His brother, before they started attending this hell, used to follow Donna Way's lead. That ended when they transferred to Monroeville, so Mikey never considered celebrating his 'special' occasion for years. He didn't reveal any of this to Frank. "Uh... if you're sure you want to." 

"I am. I'll get Ray in on it. Maybe I could get Lindsey to hang out with us too."

 _Oh **god** no_. He couldn't stand the thought of her ruining today. Why did Frank want her to show up? "What makes you want Lindsey Ballato around?" 

"What do you mean? She's nice right? I met her on my first day and she's friendly."

"Tell you later. I don't think it'd be good to have her around for my birthday."

Frank stares at him for a moment with suspicion in his eyes, but doesn't question him further. "If you're sure. Remember that you said you'd explain this though. I'm not sure who else you'd want to have around-" 

"Just you and Ray is fine. I'm not making a big fuss over this. I'd prefer only being around people I'm comfortable with for today."

The corner of Frank's lips curl. "Aw, now isn't that sweet."

"Don't make me take it back. That'll probably be the sweetest thing you'll ever hear from me until we graduate."

* * *

The Way residence isn't the most luxurious place in Monroeville. It's one of the smaller houses compared to the mansion-like structures on this side of the area, but it's located on the quietest street in town. That was enough to get the Way family to move in. Considering the number of late night parties that were held often throughout Monroeville, it was a gift that the house was still open for purchase at the time.

Mikey's taken the only other bedroom in the house. He volunteered to take the basement when they had been contemplating on getting the home, but his brother, back when he paid more attention to Mikey, had chosen to take it instead, wanting the younger Way to sleep somewhere a lot more comfortable. Once they'd settled in, it wasn't as bad as Mikey had originally anticipated. Perhaps it's because now he had his own room like he had wanted as a kid. It sucked that he had to put his older brother in the basement to get it, but in the present, that guilt had already worn away a while ago.

He's been laying on his bed for ten minutes, bored out of his mind and just staring at the wall his bed's pushed up against. He had finished all of the assigned homework fast, since he actually did pay attention in class and understood almost everything. When he first started at Monroeville, he thought it'd be easier to finish the work properly so that it would get teachers off his back. It sort of worked, but the success was tarnished by the accumulating late days he received thanks to the moron sleeping in the basement. It's not that he hates his sibling. It's simply that he's changed into a real dick after he started hanging out with Bert and Bob, although admittedly it's mostly Bert's fault. Bob can be an asshole, but that overshadows the not-as-shitty side that he almost never shows to anyone outside of his circle of bullies. If Bob followed the right people, Mikey thinks that he could learn to act like a better human being.

The bedroom door swings open, pulling Mikey out of his thoughts. "What do you want?" he asks without turning over to see the intruder.

"Sup, little bro. I'm goin' out to hang with the usual crew. You wanna come with?"

"No," is Mikey's automatic answer.

"Aw come on Mikes! You're not still mad are you? I said I was sorry!"

"'Sorry' isn't an appropriate apology for puking on your little brother. Twice." Mikey recognizes the slightly slurred way his sibling is speaking. Still lying on his side, he facepalms. "You're drunk right now, aren't you?" 

"...Little bit. I might've taken a few swigs in the basement before I came up here."

"Jesus, Gerard. There's no way I'm getting in a car with you to see you get even more wasted with Bert."

"It's not just him! Bob gets a little tipsy himself-"

 _So_ not helping." 

"Look I really am sorry, man-" His voice takes on a more sincere tone, but Mikey really doesn't want to hear anything else or deal with the presence of his drunk older brother any longer. 

"Go get drunk off your ass already." 

"No problem there. And uh, I think mom or dad left you some mail on the table in the kitchen. I didn't open it, but your name's on the front." Gerard trips a bit when he makes his way out of the room. His hand is wrapped around the doorknob, but instead of leaving he adds, "Hey Mikes?" The younger brother doesn't move or respond in any way, so Gerard lets out a sigh and closes the door. Mikey thinks he hears a mumbled "happy birthday" before the door clicks shut. He doubts it.

His phone vibrates on his nightstand, and he reaches over to answer it without checking the caller ID, flopping back onto his bed. "Hey man, you ready to meet up?" Ray says. 

"Yeah, no problem. Uh, hold on a sec." Mikey walks to his window and checks the Way's driveway. Mom's still out, and he can only guess that Gerard's taken the other car since it's nowhere in sight. He puts the phone back up to his ear with a sigh. "Could one of you guys pick me up though? I don't have a ride."

"Sure, it's cool. I was about to get Frank, so as soon as he's here we'll drive over to you."

"Thanks man. You guys still haven't told me where we're going."

"Nah don't worry man. You said you didn't wanna make a huge deal out of today and me and Frank are respecting your wishes. We were just going to drive around and see if anything caught our eye... Actually, you mentioned you were into old zombie flicks, and we do have a few of our own, so if you wanted we could have a movie marathon later. My house is way too small though, and I'd rather not stuff you guys inside my hut of a home."

"That sounds great. Although I wouldn't want you and Frank to be over here either. It's not too bad here but I don't want any unwanted interruptions since the family's still out." Truthfully he didn't want to Gerard to show up in the middle of their 'celebration'. Almost every single time that Gee goes out with his shitty friends, he comes back wasted and miraculously able to drive. Mikey hates to say it but he's still concerned that eventually his older brother will end up in traffic and smack into another car. It'd be downright embarrassing if that side of Gerard is the first impression Frank and Ray get about Mikey's family.

"It's no problem. I'll talk to Frank about it while we head to your place. See you soon Mikes."

"See you." The call ends, and Mikey shuffles over the crap on the floor to open his dresser and pick an outfit that won't give away how limited his wardrobe truly is. He hopes that whatever the three of them end up doing before watching the films is enjoyable enough to make him forget that he has to come back home to a drunk older brother at night. Deciding to just go casual and pick jeans with a green hoodie and white undershirt, he exits his room and goes to the living room, plopping down on the couch and turning on the TV to channel surf until Ray or Frank calls to inform him of their arrival.

He recalls Gerard telling him about some mail their parents might've left him and he walks to the kitchen, finding an envelope on the table with his name written on it. Mikey tears it open and finds a birthday card inside, along with a slip of notebook paper. Written on it is the message, "We won't be home until tomorrow. Sorry! I hope you spend your special day with your brother though. I know you'll have tons of fun being home alone! - Mom". As usual, Donna and Donald give no explanation for their out of the blue outing. Same old same old. Mikey's learned to stop questioning it like he did with Gerard's behavior. Not that their presence would make a difference. Even if they were here, things would be the same other than his mother giving him a few minor presents like gift cards, CDs, or vinyls if he's lucky, and his dad saying 'happy birthday' once in a while, forgetting that he had already said it multiple times. He figures that Gerard's forgotten the date of his birth, since he hasn't been around on this particular day for the last two years. Today he at least got to see the older Way outside of school. When he had first attended Monroeville in seventh grade, Gerard had stuck around a little longer since he hadn't been negatively influenced by Bert yet. He wasn't as into celebrating though, and the amount of time he spent with Mikey on this 'special' day lessened all the way to the present, when he wouldn't even be there for his little brother ninety seven percent of the time.

Today's different though. He'd get to be with _friends_ for once, and that was enough for Mikey to say that today is honestly special.

* * *

"Yeah, fucking hit him harder!" Bert cheers as the crowd eagerly watches the two seniors break each other's bones on the muddy ground. The group of delinquent sophomores have no idea whose throwing this party or who's mansion this even belongs to. They simply strolled in. Monroeville parties are open to everybody in the neighborhood, and teenagers take full advantage of that unspoken rule.

"Kick the shit out of him!"

"Punch him in the balls!"

"Make him choke on mud!"

Dear _God_ , someone needs to shut these fucking people up! Gerard groans, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He doesn't know why he's surprised by how stupidly loud they all are. He's at a party for God's sake. It still grates his nerves, so he stumbles out of the lawn chair and balances himself once he's on his feet. He should listen to Mikey when he says "don't get _too_ wasted" (perhaps he misheard him) but Gerard's not going to admit that.

He carries the beer bottle with him as he maneuvers through the throngs of people in every room. Passing by 'dancing' teens, who are too drunk off their asses to believe that the way their bodies are moving can even be called dancing, and a few couples here and there making out passionately in the small nooks and crannies of the mansion, Gerard comes to the conclusion that there's practically no place where he can be alone unless he finds a bathroom, which could be preoccupied as well. Taking the chance anyway, he asks a guy where the nearest restroom is. He's given the directions to it and he speeds up his walking pace, eager to get away from these people. Gerard finally gets through a crowded narrow hallway to the thankfully empty bathroom. He rushes inside and locks the door, taking a seat on the soft carpet in front of the toilet. Leaning against the side of the bathtub, he takes a swig of his beer, getting out his phone and choosing to skim through twitter for tweets about tonight's party. At some point during these parties, he always escapes somewhere for some alone time with just his alcoholic beverage of choice and his phone. It's gotten more common for him to feel the need to get away from the drunken kids and find peace and quiet for a couple of minutes. He's sure that Bert and Bob are too preoccupied with placing bets on the fight outside to see where he went. He doesn't know where Lindsey goes during these get togethers, but doesn't feel the need to look for her.

Most of the tweets are either gibberish or barely intelligible since these guys are probably so intoxicated they can't even make out their phones' keyboards. Eventually he tires of 'reading' the same kinds of messages and checks up on Mikey's twitter. The most recent tweet makes him frown.

" _best birthday ever_ "

Well, that's unexpected. Since he turned nine, Mikey stopped giving a shit about his birthday. No one knows why he stopped caring, but they never asked. Gee just left his brother to think whatever he wanted. He never wanted to throw a party anymore or go out on that day and settled for receiving gifts and hearing half-hearted 'happy birthday's from his parents and Gerard, if he bothered to come home instead of going straight to Bert, Bob, and Lindsey. He's got to thank whoever made today so fun that Mikey would say this. He got a twitter account 'just because', and almost never wrote tweets of his own. Assholes at school commented on them with insults or other stupid things, but Mikey paid them no mind and tweeted whenever and whatever he pleased. For Mikey to make this tweet, he must be with some awesome people. It takes some guilt off of Gerard's shoulders. He should be with his little brother too right now, and instead he's drunk at a party he doesn't even want to be at anymore.

He needs to drink though. He _has to_.

"Hey, you done in there? You've been inside for a while. Don't make me bust this door down." _Lindsey_ , Gerard realizes, feeling an immense wave of relief come over him. It's someone he knows, thank God. He gets up and unlocks the door, opening it to reveal his only female friend. "Whoa, Gee! I didn't think you'd be in here. I thought you'd still be out back with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum mooning over the brawl."

"That's still going on?"

"Nah, people are taking turns." Yes, because that sounds better. "Why're you locking yourself in a bathroom though? Needed time away from the knuckleheads?" 

"Yeah. You're doing the same I take it?"

"Pretty much, but I'm also trying to escape this one guy who's been chasing my skirt the whole night." Gerard scowls and Lindsey immediately raises her hands in front of her, waving frantically. "Wait whoa, no! Don't even think about it dude! I'm not saying that you should go and beat him until he's buried in the mud outside! I think I finally lost him since I put a ton of distance between us. He's probably given up by now."

Gerard lets himself relax. He doesn't want Linds to get caught up with the guys around here. Most of them are genuine jerkasses who honestly think they could get any ass that roams the halls of the school. He wouldn't let them touch Lindsey. He'd break the bones of anyone that laid their hands on her with the intention to fuck her without her permission. Bert and Bob would say the same thing, even if they'd never say those exact words. The three boys are Lindsey's bodyguards, despite her believing it's completely unnecessary. Bert's connections to numerous other bullies throughout the school keep Lindsey protected from unwanted attention. Too bad that the same bullies also tend to have an eye on her, and it disgusts her. Bert has reassured her from time to time that they mean well, but she finds it hard to believe considering how often they still 'accidentally' brush up against her in crowds or just find any reason to cop a feel. Gerard understands, but Bert's his best friend, so he trusts him enough to believe in his circle of 'bodyguards'/bullies.

"Anyways," Lindsey continues, "I'm bored as shit now, and I don't want to get anymore drunk. I may not look it at the moment, but that's 'cause I let the alcohol pass through a while ago. I think I'll be heading home... Actually you think I could drop by your place? Give your little brother a hug for his birthday, even if I smell of vodka and cigarettes?"

"Uh, I dunno about that. Mikey kind of gave me the cold shoulder before we came here, so I don't think he'd want to see one of the people I ditched him for. Plus, he's off somewhere with friends, judging from his tweet tonight."

Lindsey raises her eyebrow and her lips quirk into a smirk. " _Mikey Way_? With _friends_? Well, isn't that something. Only took him three years to finally get some. Any clue who they are?"

"Nope. He hasn't mentioned meeting anyone new at all, not that he'd tell me in the first place. He probably hasn't told our parents either."

"He's closed himself off that much, huh?"

"Afraid so. I've really fucked up our relationship enough to the point where he doesn't even want to talk to me on his birthday."

Her hand punches him in the chest lightly, enough to knock the breath out of his lungs. "Hey, don't blame yourself. You're just thinkin' that now because you're about to be 'emotionally drunk Gerard Way', so I think the right thing to do would be to take this from you." She snatches the beer bottle out of his hand and puts her other hand on her hip, scowling when she says, "Besides, it's not your fault that little Mikey Way can't handle our level of fun. I may not be able to stomach as much alcohol as you three, but I can sure as hell take more than he can. He needs to learn to live a little, and if he doesn't want to hang with us even though we've offered him the chance loads of times back then, that's all _his_ fault. Don't talk down about yourself because of him, Gee."

"Heh. Thanks Linds. I think your soft side shows after you sober up."

"Yeah right, I don't _have_ a real soft side. I'm only a little softer to you, Dum, and Dee. Other than you three, I'm a real bitch to anyone that doesn't deserve to see me at the nicest I can be."

"What about that one guy-"

"You mean the one who's name slipped outta my mind right after we met? Yeah, he's nice. And as we all know, Monroeville private school chews up nice people and leaves behind only the most undesirable parts of their personalities to show how they really are. C'mon, look at you for example. No offense, but before you started hanging with us, you were the living and walking example of the cliche involving quiet and weird artistic dudes. Now look at you, becoming one of the raddest people I've ever met."

"'Raddest'?"

"Ha ha, fuck off, you know what I mean! Really Gee, give yourself credit for your transformation. Be proud of it. _Own it_. That's what I did. I'm positive you can too."

"Maybe."

"But the 'nice guy' from Art is way too much of a softie. I'm not goin' for him. I'm pretty sure that he's at Mikey's level of coolness compared to us. It sucks, but it's the truth. He'd never fit in with our crew." Gerard rubs his eyes again, sighing. "Tired?" 

"Not sure. Could be from everything I drank tonight."

Lindsey sighs and sets the bottle on the floor beside the bathroom door. Someone would clean it up later. Or drink the rest of it. Either way, she's not carrying it around so that Gerard can finish it. He seems sick of being here too. Taking hold of his hand, she leads him away from the restroom and through the house. "I'm driving you home. You're in no state to be behind the wheel, and while I am all for reckless behavior, I'm not letting you drive with such a huge risk of getting yourself killed." They stop by the backyard, and she lets go of Gee to search for their friends. She spots them sitting in lawnchairs counting dollar bills in their hands. Clearly they made some well placed bets. "Dee and Dum, I'm takin' Gee home in his car. Could you pick me up from his house in a few minutes since the party's almost over?"

"That's fine, princess," Bob answers, not looking up as he keeps flipping through his wad of cash.

"And could you not call us that? It's bad enough I've gotta deal with this guy calling me Bertie sometimes," Bert says, annoyance clear in his voice.

Lindsey rolls her eyes and ignores Bert's comment. "Thanks guys." She returns to Gerard and takes his hand again as they exit the house through the front door and walk to his car. "Keys." He gives her his keys and they take their seats in the front. "I swear Gerard, you're lucky that I'm sober enough to drink and that you didn't just decide to take off in this car all on your own."

Gerard groans at this, and realizes the inconvenience of Lindsey dropping him off back home in his own car. "Hold on. How're you getting home?"

"Bob and I got picked up by Bert way earlier and got to the party before you did. I'll call them after we get to your house to pick me up." She starts up the car, and there's silence as they drive through the streets. When a party is going on in town, most of the neighborhoods other than the one hosting the party are peaceful for the night. "So, what's been goin' through your head, Gerard Way?" 

"What're you talking about?"

"You've seemed off since day one of this semester. Now, while you may be smarter than the average Monroeville sophomore, I highly doubt you're thinking about the piles of homework we get on a daily basis. So spill it."

Gerard sighs and lets his head fall against the passenger seat's window. "Nothing Linds. I'm just going through a slow start this year." 

"Right right, sure. Quit lying Gee, and tell me what's wrong."

"Fine." He pauses to think of a good excuse. "... The usual thing." It's not necessarily a lie, but Gerard knows she'll get what he means and that this will get her off his back for the time being.

"Oh." Lindsey takes on a worried tone. "Already? Then... I shouldn't of let you drink tonight! You shouldn't have come out here with us!"

"Chill out Ballato, it's no big deal. Drinking got that off my mind today, so relax."

She lets it him off the hook, not wanting to press him further now that she is barely aware of what's going on. Gerard's going to keep what he did on day one a secret. What she doesn't know won't hurt her, and this secret definitely won't since it has nothing to do with her. He guesses that the alcohol from the party the night before the first day of school hadn't worn off yet. Or he had still been hungover and he was unaware of it. Either way, he's blaming the alcohol. Admittedly, the guy did have a pretty face, and the way he looked when he was defenseless up against the locker that day got Gerard's thoughts heading in a direction not appropriate for that situation. Gee's not gonna go after him yet though. He's taking things slow. He has to be more careful this year if he wants to keep his reputation intact, and what he did that day was definitely not careful. He should count himself extremely lucky that no one had caught him. Gerard had acted on impulse. Damn brain hadn't been thinking straight. That was all.

Hell he doesn't even know pretty boy's name. Gerard would recognize him, but pretty boy doesn't know what Gerard looks like since his eyes were shut. That's a good thing for Gerard. Things would still be casual if they met again. He hopes that by then, he has forgotten the incident _and_ the sounds the poor boy had made.

The silence returns and stays until the Way house is in sight. It's still dark in the home. "Mikey's not back yet," Gerard says. Once they park and Lindsey hands him his keys, she makes the call to Bert and Bob, who say they'll be over soon. The two friends wait on the lawn for them, lying on the grass and staring up at the sky. They're not looking at anything in particular since the clouds are out tonight, so they lay quietly for a few minutes. "I hope Mikey doesn't stay out for too long. I'm gonna need him to drive us to school tomorrow since I doubt I'll be in the right state of mind in the morning."

"Don't worry about him. We both know he's not the kind of person to do the same stuff we do. He'd never stay out too late. Even if he's having the greatest birthday of his life today, he would still get back in time for five hours of sleep. Don't look shocked. You've told me how much you both sleep a while ago. I remember."

"Yeah, gonna have to fix that sooner or later. The guy's gotta get more shut eye. I do too, but I'd rather have Mikey be in better shape. He doesn't drink, so he can drop the both of us off in the morning if we have our outings the previous night and I come back too drunk to communicate with anyone at home."

"Nice job, worrying about your little brother only because you can use him as a backup driver," Lindsey jokes, giggling a bit. She doesn't see Gerard's face contort into a frown, but he laughs along with her to cover up his discomfort. They see headlights approaching from their right and they sit up, recognizing Bert in the driver's seat. "Well, have a good night Gerard. Tell Mikes I said happy birthday." She wraps her arms around him in a quick hug before running over to the car and getting inside. Bert honks the car horn and he turns the vehicle around, him and Bob waving goodbye to him. After they've driven off, Gerard walks up to his house and unlocks the front door, turning on the lights when he steps inside.

Gerard goes to the basement and changes out of his clothes, the scent of alcohol hanging off of him. Throwing them into a laundry bag that is about to start overflowing with used clothes, he fishes out long, baggy pants and a plain white t-shirt, not really caring about what he'd be wearing tonight. He doesn't have the energy to take a shower, which is a common feeling for him. Personal hygiene has slipped way down on Gee's list of priorities. Instead he grabs his sketchbook and pencils off his desk and enters the living room, sitting on the couch while flipping open to the next clean page in his book. Just for some background noise, he turns on the TV and starts drawing. It's all a bunch of random scribbles and character designs. While he may have changed a lot after living in Monroeville for so long, he hasn't lost touch with his inner artist. There's so many ideas that pop into his head sometimes, but he either doesn't feel like drawing or is too busy getting drunk. His mother says that he should keep up with his art. Lindsey agrees with this, believing that maybe he could turn it into a career after they graduate. Gee doesn't think he'll get far, but he promised he'd try it out anyway. In his current mindset, he really doesn't think he'll make it as an artist, and he's fine with that.

He likes the past few pages he's finished though. The characters have a recurring dark theme to them, all in a black and white color scheme. The cartoon skeleton wearing what appears to be a marching band uniform is his favorite at the moment. Gerard wants to come back to the sketches and develop a story for them later. Hopefully he'll have an idea by then.

The front door swings open, and in comes Mikey Way holding a small plastic bag in one hand and waving with his other to someone outside. Gerard spots the barely curled mouth of his little brother and his eyes widen. When was the last time he'd seen him smile? Sure, it's a tiny, barely noticeable one, but it still counts as a smile. It's a _genuine_ one too, not those fake ones Mikey gives to their relatives when they visit sometimes on holidays or whenever he has to smile for photo. Hell, he doesn't even bother to smile. Gerard sets his art supplies aside and quickly walks to the doorway to look outside. For a split second he sees a silver car drive away before Mikey shuts the door fast.

"Who was that?"

"The guys I was out with," is Mikey's response as he passes Gerard and goes to his room. Gerard follows him, wanting to ask more questions.

"Well, do we know them from a while back? Are they like my friends? Would they wanna hang out with us?"

Mikey leaves the bag on his desk and sits down on his bed, taking out his phone, which has two notifications. Before he checks them, he looks up briefly to say,"No to every single one of those questions, because you're not meeting them."

When he hears this, Gerard lets out a huff and scowls. "And why the hell not? You've known all of my friends since we got here."

"That's because we met them as soon as we started school in this town. They're _your_ friends, not mine. I don't want to befriend _them_ , and I don't want my friends to know them or _you_ either."

"Jeez, what'd I do now Mikes? I saw your tweet tonight, and I want to know the guys who actually managed to make my little bro crack a legit smile. Seriously, who are they?"

"No one that you need to know. You've got your friends and I've got mine, who don't need to be corrupted by you guys. You know how I feel about Bert, Bob, and Lindsey, and those feelings haven't changed at all. I'm not letting you and the rest of your 'crew' mess with my friends. They're the nicest people I know in this school."

"That's not true! You know Lindsey-"

"-pretends to be all bubbly. supportive, sweet, and cute when she's just masking how much of a bitch she can be to everyone who's not you, Bert, or Bob. I know."

Gee's scowl turns into a death glare, and Mikey can feel it even when he's in the same position from their last conversation, lying on his side facing the wall with his back to his brother. The alcohol is still present in Gerard's brain, fueling his anger to an unnecessary level. " _Don't call her that_. You're being a stubborn asshole for no goddamn reason. You keep refusing to accept her _and_ Bob, Bert, and me. Being a whiny punk about it isn't going to change jack shit, Mikey. It's easier if you just accept them for who they are, and accept _me_ for who I've changed into. Your cool guy impression is such a shitty cover up for how much you've decided to cut yourself off from me and our parents. Hell, from everyone! I don't know what runs through your head, but I hope that the thought of fitting in pops up, because I don't want to deal with your antisocial bullshit, especially if you say shit about Bob, Bert, or Lindsey. You're lucky your're my brother, because if you weren't, you'd be unconscious for weeks for saying that about her. _Don't make that mistake again._ " Gerard storms out of the room, but returns for a second and keeps his grip on the doorknob. "Oh, and _happy birthday_ , Mikey _fucking_ Way." He slams the door shut, allowing Mikey to finally text his new friends in peace.

He's been waiting for Gerard to get the fuck out of his room. Mikey's ignored basically everything Gerard said. It's the same old message- one that Mikey will never listen to. He's not going to accept Gee and his friends' ridiculous behavior and the actions they take when they're stupidly drunk. He's not taking any kind of excuse for it. He has had to deal with this same issue for the past three years, and it's plain annoying now. There isn't any guilt or regret whenever Mikey declines invitations to join them on their drinking sprees. He doesn't care about calling Lindsey names, even after Gerard reprimanded him. Mikey just stopped caring for what his older sibling wants.

His phone lights up with messages from Frank and Ray, and Mikey forgets about these thoughts for the rest of the night, the corners of his mouth lifting into the brightest smile he's made in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going back to my old habit from FF.Net where every chapter starts to get exponentially longer. I'll try to keep that from happening.  
> I want to flesh out the characters more. I'm invested in this right now and want to write for it more often. That's why I no longer have a set number of chapters for this story now. This is just way too much fun. I'll still write more non-AU fics for certain ships, but this is a main focus for me at the moment. Thanks to anyone who's reading this also. It's nice to know there's people looking at this and my other fics. It brings a smile to my face knowing there's people who legitimately like my writing again even after my long absence from fanfiction writing.  
> The POV for certain chapters will not always be the same. This chapter heavily focused on Gerard and Mikey for instance. I'll try to balance character development and plot advancement evenly because in my earlier days of fanfic writing, I worked way too much on the characters and lost track of the plot, or vice versa. I'll probably get carried away with it though, so sorry about that. I'll do my best to make my first long-fic in years readable.  
> See you later my dears.


	4. Chapter 4

"Get up. We gotta get to school." A pillow from the living room couch soars across the room and lands on the unmoving body of the older Way brother. "We've got 20 minutes to get ready and drive over. Judging by how long it takes for you just to get out of bed, that's gonna take a while."

He receives a muffled groan. "Mikeeey, just five more minutes."

"Get your ass off of the bed. You guys shouldn't have gotten shitfaced again like you do all the time, making me deal with the mess you become every single time."

"Don't lecture me Mikes, and if it'll get ya t' shut the hole in your face, I'll get up." Mikey watches him struggle to get on his feet, needing to balance himself. He and Bert had been out long after Lindsey and Bob went home, and it's obvious what they ended up doing. It pisses Mikey off, but no matter what he says, nothing changes. He's just learned to deal with it. Yesterday night, the younger Way had been asleep earlier, so he hadn't seen his brother come home. Instead, he finds him in the morning under the sheets, even though he should have been awake a while ago.

Mikey walks up the basement stairs, relieved to hear the sound of his brother opening and closing drawers to get his uniform as he leaves. The room has been left in a disorganized state for weeks now, preceding even the summer. He has to hand it to the guy for being able to find anything in that mess of a bedroom. Once he's packed up all of his school supplies in his bedroom upstairs, he returns to the living room, waiting by the door. Mom already left for work an hour before the boys had woken up, so the brothers are left alone. "Come on man, I don't wanna be late again. Verrick's on my ass now for coming late so often, and for once it's getting on my nerves."

"Don't worry Mikes, I'm ready!" His brother stumbles up from the basement, bookbag in hand and uniform sloppily put together.

"You're a mess Gee."

The response is wide grin from Gerard, his tiny white teeth bared. "Yeah, I know."

Mikey does a double take after realizing there is something off about Gerard, aside from his completely disheveled appearance. "...And what the fuck is with your hair?"

* * *

"Well, look who's on time today."

"Yeah yeah, shut it Frank."

"I think you deserve a medal, Mikey Way. I had no idea that you had a long record of lates and tardies." A couple of days ago, Mrs. Verrick had mentioned said record in front of the whole class after the younger Way had arrived. Frank had been surprised to learn of it, but decided against asking him about it. Today, he's just teasing. 

"Yeah, I'm not proud of it."

"Uh huh, so explain why you're trying to hide a smile now."

Mikey shoves him lightly, laughing a little. "Alright, 'ha ha', you caught me. Let's get inside before we're a nanosecond late to Verrick's class."

A month has passed since Frank's first day. Every day, Frank, Mikey, and Ray ate under that big tree in the courtyard, munching on the abomination their school calls lunch. Less than a week ago, Mikey and Frank made a plan to meet every morning at Frank's locker, which is the real reason Mikey wants to be on time nowadays. Getting to the school on time or even earlier would let him talk to Frank a little while longer. Frank's cool. So is Ray. He feels a little regret for not getting closer to Ray in the time he'd worked with him in science last year. He never expected both guys to be so friendly towards him. In fact, he never expected to find any _genuinely_ friendly people in the school. Maybe he just didn't look hard enough, or wasn't fortunate enough to simply run into anyone like them.

Mikey and Frank have talked a lot since he showed up, although most of the conversation depended heavily on Frank to keep it alive. Mikey isn't the most conversational person around here, and it's well known throughout his grade that it's better to stay out of his way. He's gained an weird reputation as the typical 'mysterious, silent, cool guy', something he scowls at. He reacts the same way whenever girls flirt with him because of it and when guys pick on him for a number of other things, that reputation sometimes being a part of that long list. Has he ever hit anyone for it? Yeah. He's had tons of opportunities over the past four years, and when he does decide to let his fist fly, he gets a great feeling of satisfaction when he feels the nose of his victim crack. Mikey hopes that if he does act this way again, it won't rub off on Frank.

"Oh, I ran into Ray a few seconds ago. He said he has a surprise for us at lunch. He seemed pretty excited," Mikey tells him.

"Really? Wonder what it could be."

" _Who_ it could be. He mentioned them being an old friend, in a way. He says even I wouldn't remember them apparently."

"Well, we'll have to wait for four more periods before we're introduced to whoever they are."

"Think you'll be able to handle everything 'til then?"

Frank groans and slumps until his head hits the desk. "I hope I do. I'm not looking forward to any of these other classes. Chem I can deal with since Ray's there, but _fuck Art_."

Since Mikey's birthday, the taunting and teasing from Bert and Bob had increased, and Frank had been shoved into unlocked lockers four times so far by random bullies from the school's different sports team. The croquet team is the only one so far to not pull anything, although Frank's beginning to think that there might not be anyone actually signed up for it and the posters for it have been hanging in the halls for ages. The football players are the most common offenders when Frank is assaulted with flying objects in class and in the hallways. There's classic insults hurled at him from left and right now, and he has no idea why he's suddenly garnered so much attention like this. Female students used either ignore him completely or a few attempt to trap him and invade his personal space to the point where he just shoves them off. Guys would mainly ignore him other than a few pushes and some shoving when he ended up being in their way. Now, almost everyone seemed to be out to get him.

He doesn't know how anyone learned about his home life. It was only a week ago that he heard the quarterback shout, "Hey, Frankie, your mom find a new dick to sit on?" That made him glare at the much larger student. Frank regrets reacting like that. If it had only been a jest and the bully had no clue about his mother's revolving set of boyfriends, the asshole did now, and so did the many students who witnessed the incident. It gave only a small clue about Frank's home life, but that tiny detail was enough to catch the attention of his fellow brutes. They're getting somewhat more original, he'll give them credit for that. Things like asking him if he himself shared the cock that his mother received, or if he's got his own secret supply of boyfriends around the school that they could find. Well, they're not _that_ original, but that's why he said 'somewhat'. The gay insults he gets don't bother him. In fact, he ignores them a lot more easily than the digs aimed at his mother. Frank's known for a while that he's bi, so he himself wouldn't be surprised if he found some guy of his own to prove that 'secret' true.

Sooner or later, he's going to break a nose. Luckily, that won't tarnish Frank's reputation amongst teachers since they won't notice anything that goes on between him and his oppressors. However, actually fighting back could get him into even more trouble with the meatheads that will continue to mess with him, and they'll even get more physical to coax a fight out of the shorter boy. Frank's going to deal with it though. There's nothing he can do to stop the inevitable. Mikey told him about pulling his own punches during his first four years in the school. This year, he's sure that he'll do it again. In fact, Mikey says this is the longest he's gone in a semester without hitting someone, so he says Frank's doing a good job so far.

Something that really bugs Frank though is Lindsey. He recalls Mikey rejecting the idea of her joining them to celebrate his birthday, telling Frank he'd explain later. Turns out that she's like a two sided coin. With Bob and Bert, who she has been sitting with in Art now without sparing a glance in Frank's direction, she puts on a real 'bitchy' front as Mikey refers to it, promoting bad behavior and picking on innocent, unsuspecting girls and boys. Like Frank, for instance. While Frank is not innocent, he definitely didn't anticipate her being as cruel as Mikey told him. Lindsey has in the past caused some major drama between many younger students, and has a silver tongue that helps work her way through conversations without giving away her involvement or any information she could be hiding in her secretly devious mind. She's broken up tons of couples who apparently 'needed a taste of the real world', and were too happy for their own good. Mikey suspects though that it's all just for fun in her head, and Bob and Bert egg her on, laughing along with her the entire time.

Upon learning about Lindsey's true nature, Frank had been sincerely disappointed, as he had believed the much more charming and friendly face that helped him on his first day. She had stopped her two friends from throwing random shit at him for a couple days after that, but ever since Mikey's birthday passed, she left his table and sat with them instead, completely ignoring the shorter boy's existance and letting Dumbass 1 and Dumbass 2 do whatever they pleased with him. He'd made the mistake at one point of throwing a piece of charcoal at Bert that nailed him in the right corner of his forehead, leaving a black mark where it hit. Bert looked about ready to murder him, but Frank was immensely grateful that the art teacher had returned from the bathroom and saved him from getting paint poured down his throat. Lindsey never reacted though, and it hurt Frank while also making him want to cut off her pigtails. Mikey reassures him that it's not his fault, since she pulls the act off really well. Frank still feels like an idiot for thinking that someone could be that nice here.

Other than Ray of course. Ray hadn't come up to him voluntarily when they first met, since the reason for their meeting was being the only people left unpaired in Chemistry that day. Frank's lucky that Ray is _sincerely_ a good person at heart. Maybe the person he's having him and Mikey meet will be the same way. The thought of his little ring of friends growing lifts his spirits just a bit, along with the quiet chuckle that Mikey lets out after Frank says, "These people are assholes."

"Yeah, you get used to it."

* * *

"What the fuck is with your hair?" Bert asks with wide eyes when Gerard joins the trio next to the water fountain.

"Don't make a big deal out of it. I thought I'd try dying it something else for a change."

"Well, it's nice," Lindsey says, leaning forward from her place against the wall to inspect his short hair, "It kind of suits you actually."

"I don't like it. You look like an old man now. You could be our grandad if you had some wrinkles on your face," Bob states. Gerard responds by throwing a crumpled up ball of paper at his head. 

"Fuck off, Bob. You don't like anything."

"Not _everything_." Bob emphasizes this by letting his eyes blatantly follow the ass of a cheerleader walking past them.

Bert chuckles, Lindsey fake gags like she always does when Bob checks anyone out, and Gee rolls his eyes and says, "Look, I started drawin' stuff a while ago and I took a liking to a particular drawing. I just felt like doin' this to my hair since I was so into it."

Honestly curious, Lindsey inquires, "And what would that particular drawing be?"

"A skeleton." Lindsey makes an 'oh' face and smiles. She's the only person who ever takes any interest in his art anymore now that Mikey cut him off. Gerard really appreciates it.

"So you punished yourself with this mess just for that?" Bert questions as he points to his snow white hair.

"Alright, let's just get to lunch. I don't need to hear more criticism about my new look." Gerard swats away Bert's hand and leads them down the hall to the cafeteria. "So Linds, how're things with that 'nice guy' you told me about a while ago?"

"Don't say shit to him now. I've lost interest in him. He really is just another version of Mikey. Only more cheerful. And shorter. The footballers got him taken care of though. In fact, a lot more people have gotten on his case, so my work with him is all done. All the sports guys are starting to spit all kinds of things in his face. Granted, they're not the smartest when it comes to insulting anyone, but I'll give 'em a tiny gold star for effort. You know, a little birdie tells me he swings for boys."

"If that's true, I'll beat the gay out of him," Bob answers, snorting in disgust. 

"Eh, let him be who he wants to be. What I'm more interested in is his mommy who's secretly slutting it up with a different boyfriend every week."

To this, Gerard raises an eyebrow. He knows Lindsey has a sharp ear when it comes to eavesdropping or picking up new info, but he's skeptical about where she hears it from, since this school is filled with less than trustworthy sources. He knows she'd still spread things like this, even if they stretch the truth _a lot_. "You sure about that last part?"

She shrugs. "Don't know, don't care. Point is, he's got no daddy to take care of him at home and a mommy who's getting laid day after day. That's enough gossip to start some shit, which it already has."

After the juniors get lunch, they go to their regular table at the courtyard. As usual, it's unoccupied despite their late arrival. Many have learned in the past that the table belongs to them, and those who haven't learn once Bert and Bob get their hands on them. Gerard can't be bothered to pull that same physical work unless he feels like it, and Lindsey is more into her kind of verbal harrassment. They take their seats and end up talking instead of completely finishing their... chicken? The white haired teen knows that the hard white clump is rice, but he honestly doesn't think that the meat next to it is chicken. Or meat.

Bert and Bob are going on and on about yesterday night's party, mentioning and then going into detail about their recent escapade with some popular cheerleaders and how they showed more than enough 'pep' in bed. Lindsey is a little grossed out but still joins in on the laughter, while Gerard sits quietly and smirks at their terribly sloppy descriptions of the girls and the round of sex they had in the parents' bedroom. He rolls his eyes when they mention being thrown out of the room by the host of the party, who didn't remove them from the actual party since he was too busy preparing to sleep with his girlfriend when he was too drunk to realize it wasn't even his own room. Gerard tires of their apparently much longer story and tunes them out, the three of them not noticing. He turns his head and tries to find something interesting, noting all of the morons and not-as-moronic morons who could survive the broken social pyramid the students had developed in this school.

His eyes land on his brother, who's sitting under the huge tree with two guys and a girl. Gee doesn't recognize any of them, so they're obviously not important enough to remember. He has to admit, that afro is pretty great. Maybe Bob or Bert could like, throw a match on it or something and see how long it would take to fully consume his hair. That'd be a lot of fun to watch. The girl doesn't really suit his tastes, and since neither Bert nor Bob have ever mentioned her despite being the hounds they are, that's all he really has to say about her. That one kid seems a little familiar, but Gerard can't be bothered to recall how he knows him. Maybe these guys are the friends Mikey's refused to talk to him about. His brother's actually contributing to the conversation the three of them are having. When he's done saying something and the kid with the ridiculously enormous afro starts talking, Gerard and Mikey lock eyes for a second before the younger Way shakes his head and turns to listen to Afro Boy like the other two students. Gerard still continues to stare, not willing to listen to anymore of his own friends' story.

* * *

Frank and Mikey wait patiently for Ray to show up with his friend. Mikey's busy flattening his rice with his spoon, while Frank pokes the thing he refuses to call chicken with his fork. Once a few minutes pass, Ray approaches them, a shorter girl walking alongside him. She flashes them a wide smile when Ray says, "Guys, this is Jamia Nestor, and she's a sophomore like us. Jamia, that's Mikey, and that's Frank. Mikey's been here for the past four years, and this is Frank's first year."

"Nice to meet you guys," she says, shaking Mikey's hand then Frank's. She holds Frank's hand as she tells him, "From what Ray's told me, you're better than most of the douches around here. You'll do fine, I know it."

"Thanks, I need as much reassurance as possible to make sure I don't reach my breaking point." Ray and Jamia join them on the grass, setting their own trays on the ground. "So Ray, how do you know Jamia?" Frank asks, taking a bite out of his red apple. 

"We knew each other from two years ago. I met her when some guys put chewed gum in my hair afterschool. Couldn't get the gooey stuff out, and this angel here came to my rescue. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get that gum out with my hair the way it is."

"It took a while, but we managed to get it out without needing to cut off any part of his awesome fro," Jamia comments, giggling, "Ray, you were _so_ pissed that day! I still remember how much you wanted to get those guys back."

"Can you blame me? I was really working on getting this hair to grow out! I wasn't gonna to let some jerks with nothing better to do ruin that plan! My hair is important to me."

"Ha ha, clearly! But anyway,yeah, me and Ray got acquainted a long time ago. Unfortunately, we didn't share _any_ classes, including lunch." Jamia explains how she had broken her phone before the previous summer had started and had been unable to locate Ray during exams to inform him of that and her going on vacation the whole summer. With her receiving a new number with her new phone that held none of her old contacts (including Ray's) and Ray also being moved to a new house as well, not able to inform her of his new address, the two friends had practically lost contact. It was only by coincidence that they found each other at the Seven Eleven afterschool yesterday. They caught each other up through texts because of Jamia's busy schedule regarding schoolwork, but Ray had wanted her to meet his two new friends in person. Once she finishes her story, she directs her attention to Mikey and Frank. "I never talked to Mikey, but I saw him like once or twice in the hall. No offense, but you looked so intimidating that I didn't really want to," she admits.

"It's no problem. I don't really mean to do it, but it helps get ward off actual assholes. You're not one of them, thank god."

"Well at least now I know you're not as mean as you make yourself look! What about that brother of yours?"

Mikey keeps himself from scowling at the mention of his sibling. Calmly he replies, "He's still the same, unfortunately."

"Wait, you have a brother?" Frank asks, very curious. Ray feels the same as well, since he snaps to attention. "You've never mentioned him before."

"Yeah he does. Gerard Way. Ever heard of him?" Jamia asks them, thinking the name might jog their memory.

"I don't think they've ever seen him before." Mikey detests talking about Gerard. Now they'll want to meet him, and he doesn't want them to deal with the fake persona he knows the older Way will take on. After learning about Frank's experience with Lindsey, he'd hate to have them both meet another person just like that.

Ray says, "I think that name rings a bell actually. I've never seen him myself, but my teachers would sometimes say stuff about him. Of course, all they'd talk about is how much of a real shitbag he is even though he does all the schoolwork right. Since his grades are high and well deserved, they say he could actually make it if he wasn't such a dick outside of school and hung out with better people. Dunno who he's friends with, but I'm guessing they're no better."

In his head, Mikey confirms this as he makes eye contact with his brother. What Ray said is one hundred and ten percent correct. Gerard would have turned out so much better if he had stuck with just Mikey. Then he would've met Ray, Frank, and Jamia, and would have been friends with some actually decent human beings. Instead, he's jerking around with Bert, Bob, and Lindsey, and no matter how many times Gerard apologizes, Mikey knows he's not going to cut ties with any of them. It's the truth, and it sucks, but Mikey won't be able to change that. Even if he used to mean the world to Gerard back then, he doesn't anymore. He's sure that position's been taken by his jerkass friends.

So Mikey shakes his head at his older sibling and returns his attention to Ray, who has changed the subject to something more positive and is talking about hanging out soon to 'induct' Jamia into their group. Jamia aims to get on the teachers' good sides and does her work to the fullest, so she's been working hard on a project and can't take time off of it. She decides that they could hang out two weeks from now after she hands it in. Eventually they're talking about a variety of things, from similar interests in music to how horrible this school system is and which students are particularly cruel. Mikey refrains from ever mentioning Gerard and his friends, and thankfully no one else does.

* * *

It's after school that Frank is confronted by the quarterback and his lackies. They're the only boys in the school who have any real arm muscles, and they have the height and fit figures to prove it. The QB, Garrett Wright, seems to enjoy taking shots at him, for whatever reason. People in this school love pissing each other off, and will do it even if they aren't provoked. Thanks to the small detail about Frank's mother being spread around, students have insulted him left and right consistently, but Garrett in particular loves to dish shit out as soon as his eyes land on the short teen. Maybe Frank's height just makes him seem like an easier target, or one that won't fight back. Honestly, he knows he wouldn't last in a fight with Wright, not without any sort of backup. Ray wouldn't be caught dead in a fight, and Mikey wouldn't make it through that confrontation without sustaining pretty painful injuries. It's not worth the risk.

Wright is really trying to get under Frank's skin though. It's more likely that the rumor that he could be gay is what's making him Wright's primary target. Today, he had still been at his locker. Mikey was there with him to chat for a few minutes, but had to rush to leave with his brother to go somewhere. He didn't specify where and if it was important. It must've been if he decided to leave Frank here, but Frank didn't mind. Although, once he saw Wright and three of his football friends approaching out of the corner of his eye, he is beginning to regret letting Mikey go. Despite the fact that he probably wouldn't have been much help in the situation, his presence would have at least comforted Frank.

"Well if it isn't our little Oreo, all in his lonesome out here. Sucks to be you, having a locker out here, but that's a big plus for us."

"Oreo? I thought you'd be more clever than that."

"Nickname's still in the works, but that ain't the big deal. You already know the talk of the school is your gay ass and whore of a mommy. Maybe you could tell her our dads need some 'attention' too. Not 'cause they don't get it at the clubs 'round here, but it'll add to their long list of bitches they've fucked. She could be added to that honorable list."

"Clearly your fathers don't get out much if they need to keep count of who they've had sex with. Obviously there had to be someone who was willing to produce you guys, but soon realized they fucked up and left, leaving your dads to find another girl who's so intoxicated she wouldn't be repulsed by them." Frank doesn't know where his words came from, and even he knows that what he just said is a little too personal. He basically called the birth of these boys a mistake. However, he notices that the confidant grins slip off of the faces of Wright's friends, so that must mean that what he said isn't totally false. This fact is going to bite him in the ass once they finally decide to pummel him.

Wright merely scoffs at his words. "You really think you're getting to us like _that_?" He either has no idea what his own friends' home lives are like or he is actually disregarding it and honestly doesn't think they care. "You better try harder than that, little shit. Why not make the first punch? I'm wide open." He stalks closer so that he's directly in front of Frank. "You may not look afraid, but I know you are. Everybody here is scared of me, no matter how much they hide it. You're trembling on the inside even if you're putting on a nonchalant front. Maybe a little knocking up will break you out of that shell."

Frank picks up his bag and shuts his locker, turning back to the other boy who's actually a head and a half taller than him. "Right, sure. I'm gonna head home now. 'Cause I really don't care." Yes, he really is putting up the 'nonchalant front', but it is a lot better than outright shoving Wright away and making a run for it. His mom's waiting in the parking lot, since she decided to take some time off of being fucked to pick Frank up. He can't let her see these guys since she'll make him introduce them as if they were friends. If he did, they'd know what she looked like, and would probably try to be more vivid with their insults. It's definitely better to try to get away without making any physical contact. Frank attempts to walk around Wright and head for the staircase, but his accomplices block his path once he's behind their leader. Of course he isn't going to get away that easily. "I'm pretty sure you guys would rather be at home at the moment instead of in this shithole."

"Yes, but it'd be more fun to piss you off," the second tallest bully answers.

"Like Harvey said, it is far more enjoyable for us to get on your nerves, Frankie," Wright agrees. Ugh, they're gonna call him Frankie instead? _Please_ just go back to calling him a cookie. 'Frankie' is reserved strictly for his mom and his friends. "We haven't had such interesting news around here in a while, so lucky for you, you've caught enough attention to be in the headlines of today's gossip."

"Oh yes, I'm so honored. Well, thank you for reminding me of such pleasant news, but I really must be leaving." Staying here is just making Frank feel more annoyed than fearful.

"Why in such a rush? Why don't you hang out with us for a while? We can introduce your face to the cold floor tiles," Wright says with a smirk.

"No thanks, even though the tiles are nicer to stare at than your lovely faces." This earns Frank a push against his closed locker. His back slams into it hard, but he prevents himself from wincing at the pain.

"You know, some people have said that you're a 'nice guy'. Hate to break it to you, but it's usually me who crushes that rep, if the gossip doesn't kill you instead. You're in for a rough year, Iero." Wright shifts closer but cannot do more than raise his hand when he hears the loud sound of heels clicking against the floor tiles. He immediately steps away, and he and his lackies wipe away their menacing expressions. Around the corner comes none other than Mrs. Verrick, who's cleaning her glasses lens with a wipe, when she spots the boys.

"What are you all still doing here? Go home," she orders in a strict tone. She sounds oddly pissed, but Frank doesn't mind since this is his chance to free himself. "All of you get out before I give you detention, which is more of a punishment for the both of us. So _scram_."

"Thanks, Mrs. V," Frank says as he quickly moves around the small wall of bullies and scurries down the staircase to the school's entrance. He can feel all of their eyes on his back and picks up his pace, feeling incredibly relieved when he bursts through the doors and hears them click shut behind him. His mother is parked not too far from him, and he speed walks to her car in case he ends up getting followed by Wright.

* * *

"So, ya ready to tell me about those people you were with at lunch?" Gerard asks Mikey when he bursts into his younger brother's room and leans against his desk. The younger sibling is sprawled out on his bed with his phone in his hand. Mikey refuses to reveal anything about Afro Boy, Nice Guy, and Miss Sunny Smiles, as Gee refers to them. "I dunno why you're all secretive about 'em."

"Maybe because I don't want you to meet them ever?"

"Okay, and why is that?"

"Have you ever met you? And Bert, Bob, and Lindsey?"

"We're not _that bad_ , little bro."

" _yeah_ , you _are_. They don't need to take on any of your habits. I'm not going to ruin these surprisingly amazin people with too much booze, cigs, late night parties, and other dangerous activities that I refuse to participate in whenever you guys hang out."

Gerard waves a hand dismissively. "All that shit aside, we still ain't that bad. You just have to get used to what we do and then everything'll be fine."

"That's the issue. I'm not going to allow them to 'get used to' you guys. I want them to feel comfortable, not pressured by anyone and get guilt tripped by Lindsey, who'll probably try to find out bad shit about them and ruin their reputation." She probably had a hand in ruining Frank's reputation, and he is _so ready_ to just hit her with their car.

"No she won't." Gerard easily deflects the pillow Mikey chucks at him, setting it on top of the desk. "Fine. She might. _But_ that's only if they end up being absolute killjoys. Ya know, like you for instance. You're definitely a killjoy."

"Excuse me for valuing my own safety and personal health."

"See that's what I'm talkin' about. You really don't even bother trying out what we do."

"As I said, 'safety and personal health'."

"As I said, 'killjoy'."

" _Get out please_ ," Mikey says in exasperation, turning over so that he is face down on the bed. He's tired of walking to his brother, and he just wants to text Ray, Frank, and Jamia. Gerard had interrupted his talk with his three friends. _Friends_. That still sounds weird coming from Mikey. Whatever though. He wants Gerard to get out already so that he can return to the conversation he actually wants to be a part of.

Gerard huffs and pushes off of the desk, tossing the pillow so that it lands on Mikey's head. "Have fun I guess." Once Gerard departs, Mikey takes the pillow off and lays it underneath his head, lying on his back and feeling immensely relaxed now that his older brother is gone. He sighs deeply before turning on his side, looking back at his phone, and returns to his friends, who had been asking where he'd gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of tough, but I managed, thanks to my new interest in Mindless Self Indulgence and their music keeping me motivated.  
> Yes, as Gee had predicted, he did indeed forget about the incident on day one. He, Bob, and Bert do drink that much. It'll be some time before the actual romance picks up, since this is a long-fic. Ha, missed doin' this from back then. But now, you know one of the other main bullies and have met Jamia. I'm going to spend time fleshing out the characters more, but will advance the plot. Also, what the three boys did to 'celebrate' Mikey's birthday isn't all that special but it is to Mikey. That's all.  
> Updates will be coming slower since I have other ideas that I want to write, such as my Frikey fic that was written when I took a break from Frerard. I'll still try to update once in a while though, and will definitely update at least once a week.  
> Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter my dear.


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